Find Me There
by BlooSunshine
Summary: A Balamb Garden student and a delinquent find themselves on the train tracks to Esthar, but why? And what role does a mysterious Guardian Force play in this?


A/N: I'm so excited! This is my first fanfic I've ever been serious about, and the first one I've ever published on here. This has been gathering dust lately and I decided it's now or never to post this. Basically, what you can expect from this is a story set a generation after the events of the game. The characters in this are OCs and only one has any ties to an original character, because I didn't want to dabble too much in the original characters and story.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII doesn't belong to me, only the original characters and original storyline do.

Please rate and review!

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_"I'm scared."_

_"What for? I'm here. If that crazy scientists even looks at you, I'll take care of it."_

_"I'm not scared about that. I'm scared about what will happen after that."_

_"We'll run off I guess. Let your parents know and get you someplace safe."_

_"There is a place. It's beautiful, with fields and flowers and an ocean nearby. There are kind people."_

_"I'll take you there."_

_"But I might have to run. So… if I run, I'll wait for you there, okay? I promise. I--"_

A pair of legs dangled limply over the water, fingers idly running against the aging wood of the dock, the glossy finish rubbed away by the salty water and years of use from the people. Beside the body on the dock was a simple tote bag, one that was pink with a childish and exaggerated picture of a cat surrounded by sweets. Barely peeking out from the bag was a familiar sight amongst the people of Balamb, a female SeeD cadet uniform that was ready to be retired into the closet for the summer. Like some of the other students, this student liked to take the summer off from Balamb Garden, although she couldn't completely escape the mandatory classes. What luck.

From the sea came a breeze, one that was soft and carried a subtle saltiness to it. The perfect breeze, one that refreshed your skin with a cool fanning nowhere near strong enough to tousle your hair. Mismatched eyes were hidden beneath lids and a smile stretched across pink lips, mouth parting just enough to let out a content sigh. What more could she ask for? It was the perfect summer day, summer vacation had started, and for once she was left wondering what she should do rather than squeeze her life into her training and be worried about time issues. There had to be a catch somewhere in all of this. For now, she'd live in this ignorant bliss.

"Shaaaay!" a male voice called, a bit whiny and questionable in manliness.

Her eyes flashed open, brilliant blue and forest green exposed to the light, and she suddenly let her head fall back. She saw an upside-down view of her friend and smiled, a quiet giggle escaping. This must be the catch, she wasn't allowed to have any kind of quiet moment. At least he was good company.

"Hi Zeke. How'd you know where I was?" Her head cocked to the side, even while it was tilted back still, and she eventually sat up when the blood began rushing to her head.

"Pft, you're an open book. I've got you memorized. Anyway, your mom told me this time."

"Darn… I'll have to nag her later."

He laughed and dropped a hand on her head roughly before he sat next to her. He was still in his uniform, having just left earlier today. His summer was filled with more classes than her and today there was one about magic in battles, or something like that. All he could think about was spending time with Shayli, they always had a good time. That, and he was extremely jealous of her for her freedom to roam around when the weather was so nice. A monotonous teacher mixed with daydreaming never seemed to equal a positive outcome anyway.

"I've got some money saved up from working at the shop. How about we grab two tickets to Dollet and have some fun? We could do anything down there, I'll even buy your ticket."

Her eyebrows raised inquisitively at him and she grabbed his cheek, pinching lightly. "Feeling nice? What happened? You didn't have a field test, did you? Sure Ifrit didn't fry your brain a little?"

"Oh! How cruel! I try to do something incredibly sweet for my very best friend and she accuses me of being 'not all there'. Why is fate so harsh on my existence?"

A thump resonated from Zeke's head when Shayli flicked it, which could only prove further that he was a little dense and empty. "Grow up! Anyway, are we going to get those train tickets or not?"

Zeke ended his dramatic antics and pouted while he walked behind Shayli. She glanced back at him and just smiled a little. He was so immature sometimes, but it never stopped them from being friends. Neither of them would know how to cope without having the other around as a friend. When they fought, it was petty and they made up almost immediately. Not quite like brother and sister, but more like best friends would. Every once in a while they would express to each other that having them as a brother or sister might be cool, but then they probably wouldn't have the bond that they have now.

They were silent on the way to the station, everything had seemed to be going fine. Suddenly, Shayli had stopped in her tracks and felt goose bumps rise on her arms. Across from her, someone was leaning against the wall of the station and glaring at her. The eyes were the color of the clear blue sea, but were as cold as ice and emotionless. She frowned and gripped onto Zeke's sleeve, feeling uncomfortable. He seemed to tense up as she stepped back a little and now Zeke was matching the glare of the person giving it to Shayli.

"What's your problem, Almasy?" he shouted, tugging his sleeve free from Shayli's hold. "Last time I checked we weren't bothering you."

"Don't you know already? Just seeing you two irritates me." He sneered and pushed off the wall. His hands shoved into his pockets and he stepped forward to them casually, a frown on his face. "Feel free to keep on leaving me alone, though. Wouldn't want to beat you up again." As he walked by, he brushed his shoulder against Zeke's roughly and then disappeared.

Shayli looked behind her and rubbed the back of her head. "That was awkward. Are you okay? Jeez, that Sai Almasy is such a jerk… I'd like to punch him at least once…"

"I'm fine," he grumbled. "I'll just pretend like that didn't happen, y'know? Let's get these tickets before we miss the train."

She nodded and they approached the ticket counter. He paid for them quickly and handed hers as they walked up the stairs. Inside the station, it was noisy with people exiting a train and then with the whistle sounding to let passengers know it was about to leave. A man in a nice suit with a matching cap took their tickets and then allowed them to board the train. The cars weren't crowded, but it was hard to find one that wasn't being occupied by others. It'd be nice to use the cabin meant for SeeDs, but they'd get in trouble if they were caught using it while they weren't on a mission. Neither of them were really in the mood to be mischievous either.

Near the end of the train, they finally found a car that looked less crowded than the others. It was already occupied by a woman and her two children, but they wouldn't mind sharing it with her. They seated themselves on the small couch and then sat there quietly. For once it seemed like they didn't have much to say. Shayli just stared out the window and Zeke rested his head on the back of the couch.

"Are you two from Garden?" the woman asked suddenly, surprising them both.

"We are," Shayli replied, smiling politely.

"Oh. It's nice to still have Garden students around…"

After that, not another word was spoken. The silence was nice, she wouldn't miss the conversation, if it could even be called that. The run-in with Sai had put Zeke in a tense mood, so he wasn't being talkative like usual. That was odd, how that situation played out. What had she done to make Sai so angry at her? It had been a good week since she had uttered a word to him, and she didn't even make eye contact first. She frowned and looked down at her feet, scraping the heels against the carpet. A voice over the intercom announced that the train would be arriving in Dollet soon. She took Zeke's wrist gently and stood up, waiting over by the sliding door that led into the hall space. This trip to Dollet should get all the negativity out of their mind.

Sai maneuvered himself fluidly through the small crowds of people leaving and entering the station, and managed to squeeze himself down an alleyway. He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and called the only number registered in it. A raspy voice answered on the second ring.

"Were you successful?"

"Not yet, I don't have her. I called to let you know that it seems it will be taking a little longer than planned. Our target just went to Dollet."

"Hm. This is very delicate, you understand. Take your time, but remember my own time limit as well. This might prove to be good though. Use the advantage of night, Sai. I look forward to your next call being a good one."

The man with the raspy voice hung up and Sai slouched his body against the wall. He covered his face in his hand while the other slid the phone back in his pocket. This would be a long night.


End file.
